Chris Deacon OAM Joins the Community Broadcasting Honour Roll

Some people work at a radio station. Chris Deacon built one.

At the end of October, at the CBAA Conference Gala and Awards Dinner in Geelong, ArtSound’s co-founder, technologist, sound engineer and on-air presenter was named on the Community Broadcasting Honour Roll. It is the sector’s way of recognising people who have given at least fifteen years of service to a single station and left a lasting legacy for their community. Chris was one of nine broadcasters inducted nationally this year.

Chris is a former ArtSound President and a current Board member. For more than 40 years he has kept the station on air, recorded Canberra’s artists across every genre we broadcast, and quietly made sure that when you turn the dial, ArtSound is there. Ask him and he’ll tell you he had a lot of help. Ask anyone else and they’ll tell you there would be no ArtSound without him.

Chris was also a finalist in the CBAA’s Outstanding Technical Contribution category this year. The Honour Roll is something else: it recognises a lifetime of commitment.

Most of what Chris does never goes to air, and it is why the station is still here. He keeps our equipment running, develops new ideas, helps win funding and mentors the next generation of volunteers, so that ArtSound is still on the radio in another 40 years. On behalf of every member, volunteer and listener who has benefited from his work, we say thank you. We also thank Chris’s family for sharing him with us for so long.

Congratulations, Chris. Well done.

If you’ve ever enjoyed a concert recording, a studio interview or simply a clear signal on a Sunday afternoon, you’ve heard Chris’s work. Become a member and help keep ArtSound on air.